John Hunter Children’s Hospital unveils Australasia’s first Patient SafetyNet™ System

John Hunter Children’s Hospital will officially launch Australasia’s first Patient SafetyNet™ Monitoring System on Monday 29 March, 2010 at 10am.

The remote SafetyNet Monitoring System developed by Masimo, which measures pulse rate and levels of oxygen in the blood, notifies a patient’s nurse by pager when these vital signs change dramatically.

This unique system allows a nurse attending to a patient at one end of a ward to be notified immediately through a pager that, for example, a patient in another area of the ward has deteriorated and requires urgent attention.

Purchasing this invaluable piece of monitoring equipment would not have been possible if not for community support.

In particular, the fundraising efforts of John Holland Pty Ltd, where management matched the funds raised by employees to donate a total of $10,535, provided the initial funds for the purchase of the SafetyNet monitors.

Medical Ward Nursing Unit Manager Cathy Grahame said both herself and her staff have recognised the importance of having such vital equipment.

“The SafetyNet system allows us to respond immediately to a patient whose vital signs have changed, in this often time-critical environment the monitoring system further improves our quality of care,” Nursing Unit Manager Cathy Grahame said.

All Patient SafetyNet Units are integrated into the John Hunter Children’s Hospital’s existing IT infrastructure with a central monitoring station located at the nurse’s station.

The central monitoring station displays every Patient SafetyNet Unit on the ward, where nursing staff are able to view a patient’s vital signs and if an alarm has been activated.

Clinical Area Manager Aaron Whybrow from Masimo believes the introduction of the Patient SafetyNet System will improve the already excellent care provided at John Hunter Children’s Hospital.

“Patient SafetNet provides accurate, actionable patient alarms through a paging system delivered directly to nurses, which ensures the safety of patients on the ward, even when the nurse is not in the room. We are pleased to partner with John Hunter Children’s Hospital to enhance patient care,” Mr Whybrow said.

Media Opportunity:
When: Monday 29 March, 2010 at 10am
Where: John Hunter Children’s Hospital (please contact Lucas Coleman upon arrival)
What: Unveiling of Australasia’s first Patient SafetyNet Monitoring System

Media inquiries:
Lucas Coleman - 02 4921 3844, 0407 895101 (ref HNE- 2201)